Anxiety As An Inspiration, Not Inhibitor
What if mental health disorders were positives instead of negatives? Shifting the paradigm in the way we approach mental health is one of the driving forces in ending shame and stigma. Mental health should be regarded as something which gives someone a unique set of circumstances rather than damages their ability to live a happy and successful life. Studies have found that depression, for example, might be a tool for problem solving and strategy rather than a threat to sanity and stability. Author and doctor Gail Saltz proposes that these brain issues are no more than brain “differences” and that as a society we should vive le difference a little bit more.
“There is an inherent risk in pointing out the positive elements of any brain difference,” Saltz explains, “namely that in doing so one minimizes the considerable pain and suffering of the negative symptoms.” In her article for Bustle about her new book The Power Of Different: The Link Between Disorder And Genius, she focuses on anxiety. “With anxiety disorders, it can be particularly difficult to see upsides.” Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness American face, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. For adults 18 and older, 18% of the population live with a form of anxiety. However, Saltz argues that anxiety could be a push or a motivator for people to succeed despite their anxiety. Saltz admits it’s more complicated than that. “It’s not as if one can look at a brain scan and see exactly where a talent or acuity correlates with the experience of anxiety.” Living with anxiety and being in the grips of an anxiety attack or heightened feelings of anxiety make it difficult to see outside of that. Saltz emphasizes that those who feel overwhelmed by their anxiety seek treatment.
After treatment, or during ongoing treatment work with a therapist and/or a psychiatrist, the right amount of managed anxiety and symptoms you have learned how to work through can inspire you to take action and maintain other areas of your life. “A blithe belief that everything will turn out alright might be pleasant, but it’s not realistic,” Saltz describes. “The trick is in finding the right notch on the dial for us, the level that keeps us on our toes and doesn’t freeze us in our tracks.”
Many celebrated authors or celebrities who live with anxiety speak highly of finding a way to transform the energy. Putting anxiety to use might be one of the best ways to treat it by making it a catalyst rather than something catastrophic.
If you are living with anxiety and need help learning how to live with your disorder, Harmony Place welcomes you to explor e our treatment programs. Our residential programs and all the levels of care we provide are designed to help you learn how to make authentic choices in your life for you. Call us today for a private consultation and more information, 1-855-652-9048.